{"id":184888,"date":"2013-04-11T16:32:07","date_gmt":"2013-04-11T20:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfiledev.uit.yorku.ca\/?p=184888"},"modified":"2025-04-02T09:40:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T13:40:09","slug":"best-time-to-be-a-writer-nino-ricci-tells-student-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2013\/04\/11\/best-time-to-be-a-writer-nino-ricci-tells-student-award-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"Best time to be a writer, Nino Ricci tells student award winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CreativeWritingGroupShot\"<\/p>\n

York University alumnus and celebrated author Nino Ricci (BA \u201981) told students Wednesday at the President\u2019s Creative Writing Awards reception that it\u2019s probably the best time in the history of the planet to be a writer.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast I checked, Homer was still in print, Dante was still in print, Shakespeare is still hot\u2026Jane Austen is still hot. There are more \"NinoRicci\"people reading books now, able to read books now and able to read books at a complex level than has ever been the case in the history of humankind. And there is more need now for writers, I think, than has ever been the case,\u201d said Ricci.<\/p>\n

Nino Ricci<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the complaint of writers for decades that the literary landscape was changing, that it was difficult to get published and overall a tough slog to be a writer, writing has persisted, he said. \u201c\u2026literature remains perhaps the one branch of knowledge\u2026that is able to synthesize the complexity of human experience in a way that makes it meaningful for us and in a way that makes us understand that complexity. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to go away anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s good news for the students enrolled in York\u2019s Creative Writing Program in the Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, many of whom were on hand to accept awards for their writing.<\/p>\n

\"SingerMJMannerHelmGoldstein\"From left, Martin Singer, Mark Jordan Manner, Michael Helm and David Goldstein<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t celebrate the accomplishments of our best performing students enough\u00a0and that\u2019s why I\u2019m excited to see all of you here today,\u201d said Martin Singer, dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.<\/p>\n

Around a dozen students were honoured at the reception, for their writing in everything from poetry and stage play to screenplay and short fiction, through the Office of the President, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and private donors.<\/p>\n

\"SingerRodrigoHerreraEarlOliverosGoldstein\"<\/b>From left, Martin Singer, Earl Oliveros, <\/strong>Rodrigo Herrera and David Goldstein<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year it amazes me what incredible students we have. I\u2019m thrilled to play a role in the development of the next generation of Canadian writers, many of whom are in this room. Whether you realize it fully or not, your faculty do and are proud of you,\u201d said David Goldstein, coordinator of the Creative Writing Program.<\/p>\n

The following is the list of this year\u2019s award-winning students:<\/p>\n

Screenplay<\/b><\/p>\n